It is common knowledge that air pressure at a point on the surface of a moving object is a function of the velocity with which air streams over the surface at that point. Indeed, this principle is the basis for aircraft design; that is, it is common practice to shape the wings of an aircraft so that the velocity of air streaming over the top surface of each wing is greater than the velocity of air streaming over the bottom surface of the wing. This velocity differential, achieved by the contour of the wing, results in a pressure differential across the wing so that a net force, lift, is exerted on the wing to support the aircraft in flight.
Traditional modern day aircraft typically have a single wing located on either side of the fuselage of the aircraft. The airflow over these wings provides the lift required to raise the aircraft off of the ground. There is typically a tail located at the aft end of the fuselage with a vertical member and two horizontal members, one located on each side of the vertical member. The tail provides stability for the aircraft in flight. Also, the tail and the leading and trailing edge of the wing typically contain the control surfaces which are used to maneuver and turn the aircraft.
The present inventor has two prior patents relating to wing designs which diverge from the typical modern aircraft design. U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,042 (“the '042 patent”) issued on Feb. 4, 1986 discloses an aircraft having a fuselage provided with an internal duct extending longitudinally therethrough to provide an internal wing for the craft, the internal duct having the forward end open for receiving an air stream therethrough and the aft end thereof open for discharge of the air stream therefrom, the internal contour of the duct being alterable in accordance with required operational conditions for the flight of the craft, and a plurality of control flaps and/or vanes provided at the aft end of the duct for providing operational controls for the craft in the manner of a more conventional external wing craft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,300 (“the '300 patent”) issued on Apr. 1, 1986 discloses how lift for an aircraft is provided by forming a longitudinal lifting duct therethrough, said lifting duct having a substantially planar roof and a longitudinally cambered floor. When the aircraft is driven forwardly, a stream of air enters and passes through the lifting duct and the contouring of the floor of the lifting duct give rise to a pressure gradient in the air stream which result in a higher pressure on the roof of the lifting duct than on the floor thereof so that the pressure difference provides lift for the aircraft.
The drawback to the aircraft design found in the '042 and '300 patents is that the aircraft had little wing span. This in turn meant that the aircraft had less desirable gliding range in the event of loss of power.
The present invention also provides a structurally much stronger wing configuration than a traditional aircraft wing design with a single wing protruding transverse to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage.